New York wideout Steve Smith was one of the toughest guys to evaluate on our Top 80 free agents list.

During a normal year, he might have been in the top-15 players. Coming off a serious injury, he makes for an interesting risk-reward gamble for teams that could bet that he’ll be back to his normal self in 2012.

It sounds like Smith may prefer to rebuild his stock for a season first, then re-enter the market.

Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News writes that Smith is “expecting and willing” to sign a one-year contract. It will probably be with the Giants.

In theory, that will give the slot receiver the best chance to succeed while he recovers from knee surgery. If all goes well, his value will be higher to teams next offseason.